He Chose Her—In My Own House / Chapter 4: Cornered in the Candlelight
He Chose Her—In My Own House

He Chose Her—In My Own House

Author: Jack Marsh

Chapter 4: Cornered in the Candlelight

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Life kept rolling, the lab project settling into a routine.

Just as I was about to work late, Harrison called.

My homebody husband actually wanted to take me out to dinner.

I glanced around the empty lab and said yes without thinking.

Same old restaurant—our spot since high school.

The roast chicken was legendary.

The place was cozy, with battered booths and checkered tablecloths, always smelling like comfort. We’d just sat down when I spotted a familiar figure across the room.

Daisy Monroe, of course.

She was working the floor, balancing a tray, taking orders.

When she saw us—no, when she saw Harrison—her eyes filled fast.

Tears spilled over, dripping onto her order tablet.

I stared into my cup, silent.

Harrison frowned, looking right at her. "The Whitmore family stopped sponsoring you?"

Daisy took a shaky breath, voice trembling. "Thank you, Mr. Whitmore—and you—for all your help. From now on, I’ll support myself."

She glanced at me, quick and wary, then added, "That way, I won’t make Dr. Bennett unhappy."

"If you want to work your way through school, with your education you could tutor or work in a lab. Plenty of options."

"But you picked the one restaurant Harrison and I always come to. What’s your real angle?"

Daisy’s face crumpled. She rushed to explain. "It was just a coincidence. Last time Harrison brought me here, I saw the ‘Help Wanted’ sign. I just wanted to earn more money…"

I let out a short, sharp laugh.

"Earn money?"

"With your Haverhill grad student status, you could find a better job than waiting tables."

"A student should act like a student. Stay focused instead of playing games."

She stopped, choking up. "Dr. Bennett, not everyone is as bold as you."

"I came from the mountains, I’m clumsy, I didn’t even know about the slippers thing, and I’m scared to talk to people. Any job is the same. You make money in a fancy lab, I make money here."

"I know you look down on me, but you can’t humiliate me over and over."

Harrison turned, gaze landing heavy on me. "Lillian, don’t push her into a corner."

Daisy, eyes swollen, stood shaking beside him.

She bowed, voice raw. "Dr. Bennett, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have flaunted the small kindnesses Harrison showed me. I’ll delete all the videos. Please, just stop making things hard for me."

How exactly have I made things hard for you?

The question echoed in my mind, bitter and sharp. I stared at Daisy, the restaurant’s warm light stretching shadows across the table, and wondered how it all got so twisted. The line between kindness and boundaries had vanished, leaving nothing but the ache of something precious slipping away.

For the first time, I wasn’t sure whose side he was really on.

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